Fly Away
by LadyofHesitation
Summary: After an evening that involves being dumped and a one night stand Bella decides to leave Forks behind and begin the adventure of a lifetime. Witches, werewolves, and babies. Oh my!
1. The Day the Music Died

The Day the Music Died

-Don McLean "American Pie"

She was trying to keep up but her legs were so much shorter than the others' legs. She kept tripping and falling, trying to keep pace, but each time she fell behind the others would step on her as if she was nothing more than a stepping-stone. Finally, the wolves got so far ahead that she was unable to catch up and Bella collapsed on the ground exhausted.

It was there, lying in the mud of the forest floor that the man found her battered body. He was tall and thin, those were the only defining things about him, the only things that stayed the same. His hair color, skin tone, even his eyes and facial features were constantly changing. Bella felt that were this not a dream it would be hard to gaze upon the man.

He knelt next to her on the ground and softly stroked the feathers on her back. "Little swan," he murmured, "did no one tell you not to run with wolves when you are not a wolf yourself?"

Bella shook her head and tried to speak. Tried to tell him that the wolves needed her that she protected them, but no words would come.

It didn't matter that she could not vocalize her thoughts the man seemed to understand her all the same. His laugh shook Bella's small frame. "Little bird," he said, "if you want to protect the wolves then you shouldn't be running with them. Instead you should be soaring above them and warning them of the dangers that lie ahead of them."

Of course, she thought, how foolish she had been to run when she had wings. She shook her wings out and gave them an experimental flap. She could do this she could fly. She flapped her wings harder, but nothing happened. Frustrated she fully freed herself from the man's grasp and took a running start, madly flapping her wings the entire time. Yet flight continued to elude her.

The man laughed once more and picked her up. This time as he stroked the feathers on her back she felt the cuts and bruises she had gained from the wolves disappear and saw the dirt and mud that once clung to her fall to the ground.

"I could teach you how to fly little bird. I just can't do it alone. I could teach you how to fly little bird, and so much more, but you will have to leave the wolves behind."

* * *

He was much more overjoyed than she was that today was their three month anniversary. He had gone all out. Dressed in his nicest, cleanest shirt, he had taken her to dinner at the only restaurant in town. At the very least, she felt his was a nice change of pace from eating sandwiches in his garage.

Jake lowered his menu and gave her one of his silly happy grins. "This is great, isn't it Bells? Just you and me."

She gave him a small smile back. "Yeah Jake, this is great."

He smiled again, then, went back to looking at his menu. Bella glanced down at her menu too, but the words were meaningless as she escaped into the turmoil in her head. She did not love Jake. Not the way he wanted her to. He had healed her. Fixed the hole left in her heart by her last boyfriend who had cruelly left her alone on the forest floor filled with thoughts of being unwanted. Jake had her heart covered in patches made from his goofy grins and sunny personality.

She owed it to him to try to love him. She could do that. Do this. Pretend to love him the way he deserved, the way he wanted. There were worse things than loving your best friend and with any luck, she would learn to think of him as more than a friend with time.

Bella was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice when the waitress got to the table. When Bella finally glanced up the first thing she saw was the waitress eyeing Jake up like a prime choice of meat and Bella planned to say something about keeping her eyes to herself. Then she looked at Jake. His face was one of pure awe, as though he had never seen anything as amazing and beautiful as that waitress.

Although mere seconds ago, she'd thought how much she did not love Jake, Bella could feel her heart breaking. All those little patches Jake had used to heal her simply disintegrated. Walking away from the table, out of the restaurant, and into the driver's side of her beat up old truck she was ashamed of the tears that flowed freely down her face.

Come on Bella, she thought as she stared out the windshield at the offensive restaurant. Why must I be so selfish? This should be a wonderful time for Jake. He's found his soul mate. I should be happy for him; it isn't as though I really loved him anyway.

With the tears, not stopping Bella decided that the best thing for everyone would be for her to put the restaurant as far behind her as possible. She didn't need Jake to see her crying. Putting the truck into drive Bella pulled out of the parking lot with no particular destination in mind. Her thoughts so disconnected from her actions that she was surprised when she found herself parked out front of a small house in La Push.

The house reminded her of her truck with its weathered paint and a look that said it could survive anything because it had already been through so much. Bella groaned when she saw the front door of the house open and a man start to walk up to her truck. Of course, he knew she was there. With the noise her truck made all of La Push, not to mention Washington, probably knew she was there.

The man knocked on her window so she rolled it down. He had long dark brown hair and an unshaven face. The sheer of amount of hair he had combined with his bulky frame gave Bella the impression of a bear.

He smiled at her, an open friendly grin with lots of teeth, before saying, "My son says that you're here to hurt him and that we should pretend we're not home." He glanced back at the house then looked Bella up and down. "You're such a tiny thing and my son is so large that I would certainly be interested in seeing you try to harm him." He laughed a little. "Not that I don't love my son, but you would be like a fly to him."

Bella doesn't know this man and she certainly doesn't know his son, but she felt like this was where she should be. Here the pain from Jake's imprinting was nothing more than a dull ache that she could easily ignore.

Still smiling the man says, "You should come inside. I won't bite."

Bella opened up the truck door and hoped out. What was the worst that could happen in La Push? He walked slightly ahead of her up to the porch and then opened the front door for her. Comfortable was the first thing she thought when she walked into the living room and saw the giant worn couch with a big screen TV almost too big for the room situated in front of it.

In an armchair a little off to the side, she saw Paul who looked less than pleased to see her. "Leech lover," he sneered, "where's the lover boy alpha?"

The man she now knew to be Paul's father pointed her at the couch. "Sit down and make yourself at home and feel free to hit my son should the need arise. He probably deserves it."

Paul narrows his eyes at his dad before giving out a loud sigh of frustration. "Geeze dad, you could at least pretend you like me."

Bella sat down on the couch and thought to herself how odd the entire situation was. She was crying outside over Jake and now she was sitting on the most volatile shape shifter's couch.

"You know I like you son. I just think you need to be knocked around a little." Bella could tell that the two men were merely joking with one another and somehow listening to their banter was helping to keep her relaxed. Bella watched as Paul's dad threw a pillow at Paul, forcing him to move out of the armchair and over to the couch next to Bella.

When Paul looked at her and smiled, the sudden realization that with the exception of when she first got there this was probably the first time Paul wasn't being a complete jackass to her hit her. She briefly wondered if this was the real Paul and the Paul she saw when they were with the pack was simply a façade, but Bella quickly dismissed that idea as being ridiculous.

"Bella, it was nice to meet you," Paul's dad said, "but unfortunately I have work tomorrow and I'm not as young as I once was. Need my sleep these days." He moves to pat Paul on the shoulder and smiles once more. "I leave you in the capable hands of my son." He gives Paul a look that mystifies Bella, but must mean something to Paul before heading up the stairs.

They sit in silence for a few minutes before Bella felt the need to tell Paul everything that had happened that night. "Jake imprinted," she blurted out.

Paul didn't look surprised and the smile didn't fade from his face. "Bound to happen eventually." He shrugged his shoulders. "You knew what you were getting into when you started dating him. You had to know his imprinting was a possibility."

He was right, of course. She had known that Jake could imprint and leave her at any second she'd just never thought it would actually happen. Paul got up from the couch, turned on the TV, and placed a movie in the DVD player, then walked out of the room while the movie started up.

It slightly irritated Bella that Paul dismissed Jake's imprinting so easily. It irritated her even more to realize that his dismissal made sense. It was never a secret that her and Jake's relationship was fairly one sided and she had always been painfully aware of the risks that came with dating a shape shifter.

When Paul returned to the room, he had a blanket with him. "You looked cold," he explained as he wrapped the blanket around Bella and sat back down on the couch.

Bella wasn't certain what movie they were watching since she couldn't seem to focus on the movie for too long. Her thoughts kept straying to either Jake or Paul. Jake was destined to be the leader of the La Push shape shifters one day. It was foolish to think that he needed her, a girl he hadn't even imprinted on, a girl who loved him as a sister would a brother and not as the lover, he deserved.

Then there was Paul. Paul hated Bella she knew this to be truth. Paul's hatred of all things Bella was common knowledge. Yet here he sat next to her with barely a harsh comment from him since she had walked through the door, his calling her leech lover all but forgotten. He almost seemed happy she was there and in the back of her head, Bella realized that she was happy she was there too.

She knew she was upset about Jake. That the hole in her heart had opened back up into a gaping wound. She might not have loved Jake, but she did need him in her life and his imprinting would take him from her. Leave her alone once more. Yet Bella couldn't feel the pain of all that. Especially when halfway through the movie, Paul put his hand on her knee and all thoughts of Jake left her for the rest of the night. She might be broken once more, but in this place, it wasn't important.

When the movie ended, a comedy Bella now vaguely recalled from when she was younger, Paul got up from the couch to stand in front of her. She was briefly embarrassed to realize she missed his hand on her knee. Paul appraised her for a few minutes, and Bella got the impression that he was checking for wounds and she wanted to laugh. Her wounds weren't physical.

Bella was the one who broke the silence. "Thank you Paul." He continued to stare at her, the air filling with a slight tension that she felt the need to break. "Thank you for helping me forget." He nodded at her but did not move from his spot above her.

It was starting to make Bella uncomfortable so she stood up too. When she was standing in front of him, barely any space between them, Paul reached out his hand and touched Bella's face. She was so uncertain what was happening that had he not wrapped his other hand firmly around her upper arm she would have bolted. Bella could feel her heart beating so fast it might have been trying to escape and her arm tingled where Paul was touching it. He took a step closer, effectively eliminating what little space there had been, and Bella got the crazy idea in her head to kiss him.

Had Bella been in her right mind she probably would have wondered why she was kissing a man who, by all accounts, hated her, only hours after essentially getting dumped by the man who, despite her lack of strong feelings for him, made her whole, and why this all seemed to be all right by her. However, this moment filled with comfort and forgetting had caught her up too much for her to care.

The word rebound floated in Bella's thoughts for all of a second before Paul's kisses chased it away. He was strong and demanding but not forceful, and his very touch left Bella feeling amazing. All thoughts of anything not Paul and what he was now doing with his roaming hands fled Bella as he all but carried her up the stairs, down the hallway, and into his bedroom, where frantic kisses turned into something more.


	2. Running Away With Me

Running Away With Me

-The Temptations "Just My Imagination"

The sound of Bella's phone ringing woke them both up the next morning. Untangling herself from the mass that was Paul, Bella followed the noise to her jeans, which she had carelessly thrown into the corner at some point the night before. She didn't have to check the ID to know the caller was her father Charlie. She'd told him she was only going out to dinner with Jake and had ended up staying out all night. She pushed the answer button and mentally prepared herself for the worst.

"Hello? Bella? Bella, where have you been?" her father's voice sounded slightly panicked. "I thought maybe you would sneak in late last night, but you never came home. Are you hurt? Are you with Jake? Put him on the phone, I have some things I need to talk to him about."

Bella was at a loss. She didn't know what to tell her dad. She didn't think 'Jake just broke up with me but it's all right because I just had sex with a man who is like a brother to him' would be the best thing to say. Paul pulled the phone from her grasp and she felt a small amount of relief that at the very least she wasn't the one telling Charlie why she had been out all night.

"Chief Swan?" Paul spoke into the phone. "Jacob broke up with Bella last night and she was in such a terrible way, all covered in tears and snot, I didn't think she should drive home like that."

Bella silently scoffed, covered in tears and snot, her tears had dried by the time she had come inside Paul's house.

Bella raised her eyebrows when she heard Paul say, "I let her sleep on my couch." Would her father really buy this slept on the couch story?

Bella shrugged, if Paul wanted to feed her father lies then that was fine by her. Taking the chance to look at herself Bella realized that she was shamelessly standing in the middle of Paul's room naked and decided to go on a hunt through the room for the rest of her clothes.

"Paul Lahote sir," She heard Paul say as she found her shirt.

Her right sock, "I will tell him sir."

Her bra, "I agree. He is a total asshole."

Her underwear, "Of course I can make sure she eats before she goes."

The elusive left sock, "I won't let her break sir."

When Bella located her shoes, one on the dresser and the other under it, she began to get dressed. "I'm sure she'll be fine Chief Swan. Jake was never the right guy for her anyway."

Paul must have finished talking to her dad because he threw the phone on the bed before grabbing up his pants and beginning the process of dressing himself. "I'm making you breakfast," he said picking a shirt off the ground and sniffing it before pulling it on.

Now fully dressed, Bella walked over to the bed and grabbed her phone. "You don't need to do that."

"I promised your dad I would." He looks at her intensely, Bella wants to think passionately because of the fire that begins to burn with his stare, but throws that thought quickly out the window. "At least eat some cereal."

She couldn't think properly under his gaze. Cereal was quick she could do that. Then suddenly Bella forgot about Paul. Forgot how his eyes made her body tingle and his voice made her melt. Like a lightning strike, she felt the need to leave Paul's house.

Maybe her dad's phone call had broken some sort of spell and she was just now feeling it. She had just slept with Paul he was offering to make her breakfast. Why did she want to leave? Clearly she was a slut. Slut sounded cruel, even in her mind. Maybe she was a lush. No lush just sounded stupid and old fashioned. Easy, perhaps?

"Earth to Bella." Paul's hand was waving in front of her face. "You left me for a second there."

She shook her head and focused back on Paul. "Sorry," she said, "I don't think I should stay for breakfast." He frowned at her, but she pretended not to notice.

The feeling that she needed to leave was getting stronger. It was pounding in her soul that she had to get out of that house as quickly as possible. As tempting as Paul was, and as tempting as it was for him to make her breakfast, she had to get out of there. Perhaps she was simply feeling guilty over Jake. That couldn't be right though. It wasn't as if Jake was feeling guilty about ditching her for someone else. He hadn't even called to see if she was all right.

Bella took a deep breath and looked Paul straight in the eyes. "I will tell Charlie that you fed me if he asks, but I really need to leave." Bella looked around the room one last time to make sure she had everything. She noticed Paul had his right hand out in front of him as if he was reaching for something, and had a look upon his face as though he was having some sort of internal debate.

Using this moment as her chance for escape, Bella grabbed at the door and sprinted through the hallway and down the stairs. Paul's father was sitting in the armchair in the living room with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Bella barreling down the steps, but otherwise didn't say anything as she barely registered his presence.

Bella rushed out the front door and into her truck. She had thought that leaving Paul's house would cause her urge to leave to stop, but all it had done was dull the urge into a tingling in the back of her mind. It stayed there, in the background, until Bella pulled into her driveway. Once home the need to leave filled Bella's blood and bones once more. It wormed its way into every nook and cranny of Bella's being. Soon Bella's very essence was nothing more than the word leave.

Charlie was waiting for her by the front door when she got inside. "Bella, we need to talk," he said as soon as she closed the door behind her. "I'm worried about you. I don't want what happened last time to happen again."

She could hear him, could understand what he was saying, but she couldn't react to it. The only thing she could do was leave and attempt to find solace in her bedroom. Leave. Bella walked past Charlie without acknowledging him. Inside her bedroom, with the door closed, Bella began to pace across the room. The word leave turning into a chant her mind cried with each footfall.

She could hear her dad knock on her door. "Bella, it's okay if you need to cry. I understand that breakups can be hard, but you can't check out." Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave.

"Look, Bells. I know we both have a hard time expressing how we feel. I just want you to know that I love you. I have to go to work now. I want to talk to you when I get home. We'll order a pizza, okay?" Leave. Leave. Leave. It was a few seconds before Bella heard Charlie's footsteps on the stairs and the sound of the front door opening and closing.

It didn't matter. The thought of leaving had her too consumed to care. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. The floorboard was loose. Leave. Leave. Leave. Loose floorboard. Leave. Leave. Leave. She could think when she was standing on the loose floorboard. The urge to leave disappeared in this spot, so she stood there.

Bella realized she had to have been pacing the floor for several hours because she could see the sun setting outside her window. Charlie would be home soon for his father-daughter talk. Maybe if she stayed still on this spot she could get through that. Bella needed to know what it was about this spot that made the urge to leave vanish.

Not seeing anything around or nearby that looked like it could do anything for her peace of mind Bella decided it had to be under the loose floorboard. Getting down on the ground, Bella pulled the floorboard up with very little effort. Underneath the board she found everything that had disappeared when her vampire ex, Edward, had left her.

As Bella picked up the plane tickets, which had been a birthday gift, the word leave slammed so hard inside of her that she fell backward and sprawled out on the ground. Some force clearly wanted her to leave Forks behind, but she was not sure she could do it.

Charlie might be the only thing left for her in Washington, but leaving would devastate him. It was obvious to everyone, Bella included, that Charlie enjoyed having the daughter he missed back in his life. Bella realized, however, that she had shut Charlie out long ago, and had yet to let him back in.

It wasn't like Jake and the other wolves would miss her. Jake had his shiny new imprint to distract him. It would probably be days before he remembered Bella even existed. Paul was nothing more than a one-night stand in a moment of weakness. She doubted he would miss her at all. As for the other wolves, well, she would be a nuisance out of their hair. A danger magnet they would no longer need to protect.

It also was not as if Bella had to worry about school. She had graduated from high school three months ago. If anything, this would end up being the perfect opportunity for her to go to college. Mind now made up in favor of using the plane tickets to leave, Bella grabbed her suitcase from under her bed and began to fill it with the few clothes and personal items she felt she could not leave behind.

She realized, as she was pulling out of the driveway, that perhaps leaving a short letter for Charlie saying nothing more than 'Forks is not where I am meant to be' was a bit cruel. She resolved to call him when she had safely landed wherever it was she was going.

By the time Bella got to the ticket counter, she had decided that her best course of action would be to hop on the next flight out of Washington. This way, if her dad had somehow figured out where she was and cooked up some crazy scheme to take her back home, she would already be gone.

"I can help the next person over here," said an overly cheerful woman behind the counter. "How can I assist you today?" she asked when Bella walked up.

Bella showed her one of the tickets. "I'd like to exchange this for a flight leaving as soon as possible." The woman took the ticket from Bella and typed a few things on her computer.

"Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere," Bella replied.

The woman typed a few more things onto her computer. "It looks like the next available flight is headed to Florida. Will that be okay?"

Florida was perfect. Her mom lived there and she would be able to stay with her mom until she figured out exactly what she wanted to do. The woman at the counter printed up a boarding pass for Bella before helping to check-in her suitcase. Then, she pointed Bella in the direction of her gate and wished her a good flight.

Once she was safely on the plane, headed for the next great adventure of her life, Bella felt relaxed enough to take a nap.

* * *

She was floating atop a beautiful lake. The water was a clear blue and she could see the fish swimming below her. Looking around, Bella could see that there were other birds at the lake. Some, like her, were floating atop the water. Others were sitting in the trees surrounding the lake, while more flew high above them.

The ever-changing man was there, at the shore of the lake. He had a crow on his shoulder. "I see you've left your wolves behind little bird," he called out to her. She swam closer to the shore so that he could talk to her better.

"Are you nervous?" She shook her head no. If anything, she felt a sort of excitement for what was going to come. "I'm glad." He stroked the crow's head. "Your path will be littered with guides who will take you where you need to be. Teach you what you need to learn. You are not alone little bird. Never forget that."

* * *

When Bella woke up to find the plane descending into Florida her dream fled to the background. There, it buried itself where only the deepest recesses of her brain could recall it.


	3. Can you Play Me a Melody

Can You Play Me a Melody

-Billy Joel "Piano Man"

Sam grabbed the heaviest looking plate of food out of the car so Emily wouldn't attempt to carry it herself. Then, he did a mental checklist to make sure they had not forgotten anything for their bonfire on the beach.

Emily touched his shoulder and he looked down at her. He could never get over how beautiful she was. She had helped him learn to see past the scars that he had accidentally given her and see her for how she'd looked before. As if, someone had erased his past mistakes and there was nothing but the now.

"You could always send one of the boys to get whatever we may have forgotten." She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back. She was amazing.

Sam did not think he would ever get used to how Emily seemed to read his mind sometimes. This was something he had also noticed with the other imprinted couples. Often the couples had no need for words and he wasn't certain if it was a side effect of knowing one another so well or an effect of imprinting.

Sam could not recall it being this way when he had been with Leah. Sure, they had known each other well enough, but what he had with Emily was something more. Sometimes it seemed as if she knew how he felt and what he thought before he did. There was a lot they did not know about imprinting and he was tired of ending up caught off guard each time something new happened.

Sam leaned down to give Emily a small kiss that made their smiles even wider. No words needed.

The whole pack was already here. He felt Emily leave his side to scold Quil and Embry who had already descended upon the food. He laughed as he set his burden down on the table. It always amused him to see his pack mates shamed by his petite fiancée.

He looked around him and briefly wondered if his need to do so came from his position as Alpha, if it was an instinct to protect the others.

Jared and his imprint Kim were near the water helping Emily's niece, and Quil's three-year old imprint, Claire, build a sandcastle. Seth, Brady, and Collin were roughhousing in the water while Leah and Paul sat side by side on a log, staring out at the youngest werewolves. Sam supposed they were both sulking. Leah wasn't exactly happy with Jake and his new imprint. As for Paul, well Paul was always upset about something.

Then there was Jake himself along with his imprint, Meghan. This bonfire was her welcome to the pack party, a chance for her to learn more about the wolves and the tribe. Sam had to admit that she was pretty. She had long dark brown hair and light blue eyes, which indicated that not all of her ancestry came from the Makah tribe where she was from.

She seemed nice enough. Meghan had offered to help Emily and Kim with the monstrous task of cooking for the bonfire when she had heard about it, which earned her Emily's praise. Sam was disappointed, however, that she seemed to lack the cool levelheadedness that Bella often exuded.

When Bella learned about the boys turning into giant wolves she had simply shrugged the whole thing off as not being a big deal. Meghan, on the other hand, had fainted when Jake told her the wolves' secret. When she had finally regained consciousness, she had laughed everything off as being some sort of dream. It had taken Sam, Jake, and Jared shifting in front of her, plus a lot of hysterics and denial before she believed them.

Sam had been a bit sad when he had learned from Leah that Bella had left Washington behind. For all Bella was not an official member of the pack, she might as well have been. She always had time to help Emily and somehow found the patience to deal with the crazy antics of the boys.

Bella and Leah had somehow managed to bond over the men they'd loved leaving and abandoning them in a supernatural world to form the unlikeliest of friendships. Leah seemed like her old self when Bella was around. He hated for that to end. Even though he no longer cared for Leah as he once had, he still believed she deserved some sense of normalcy.

Sam was proud, however, that Bella had found the courage to leave. Bella might have been beloved by all, but the pack was a poison to her. Besides, she deserved normalcy too. Sam had to hand it to Charlie for refusing to tell the pack where Bella had gone. Bella did not need them to disturb her as she carved out a new life for herself.

Sam could hear Sue's car not too far away and figured this would be a good time for the girls to grab some food and for everyone to set up around the fire.

He found Emily talking to Jared and Kim while holding Claire. Catching her eye he said, "Time for all humans to get their food the elders will be here soon."

His words enacted a flurry of activity. The girls briefly left their wolf's side and made their way over to a table so heavily laden with food it appeared on the verge of collapsing. Emily handed Claire to Quil as she passed him. The boys and Leah went about starting the fire and setting up chairs around it.

Sam could now hear Sue, Billy, and Old Quil in the parking lot and noticed Jake going over to help his wheelchair-bound father. It wasn't until everyone had grabbed their plates of food and had a spot to sit that Sam was finally able to relax.

"It's nice no longer having the bloodsuckers around," Old Quil said from his spot next to Sue.

Sam frowned inwardly at his comment. While it was true that they had not seen, a vampire for some time that did not mean there were not any out there.

"The redhead will probably be back." Quil gave his grandfather a hard stare.

Seth jumped up from his seat and flexed his muscles. "We'll be ready for her when she gets here." He playfully kicked Leah who was sitting to his left. "Right sis?"

Leah gave him the barest of smiles. "Sure kid."

Sam frowned even more. The redheaded vampire had been terrorizing them for months. Then about two months ago, she had simply disappeared. They had probably gotten a little too lax since then. There wasn't even anyone out running patrol right now.

If the redhead chose tonight to return, she would find little resistance. Sam toyed with the idea of sending one of the boys on patrol now, but did not want to ruin the bonfire. Everyone here had earned a chance for a break.

Billy clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Tonight we do not worry about our future, but instead reflect upon our past." Billy looked at Jacob and his imprint. "Tonight we welcome our newest member. We are very glad to have you Meghan."

Sam heard Paul scoff and whipped his head in Paul's direction in time to see Leah wrap her arms around Paul in a sideways hug. Sam was surprised to see that Paul did not shake her off. Was there something going on there that he had missed?

"Thank you," Megan said quietly.

"Yes," spoke up Old Quil, "it is good to see Jacob finally making the correct decisions. The pale-faced girl brought nothing but ill to this pack."

Paul was growling. When Sam looked over at him once more, he could see Leah futility trying to stop him from shaking. Why would Paul be so upset? Granted, the comments about Bella were not exactly making Sam happy, but they should not have bothered Paul. Paul had made no secret of his dislike for Bella.

"That girl was a poison to our pack and to our tribe," Old Quil continued.

Paul was standing now and had gained the attention of everyone present except Old Quil. Sam stood as well. If Paul leapt for the man, Sam would try to stop him.

"She was acting like a beacon for the leaches. Calling them here, forcing our boys to change. She would have destroyed us."

With those words all of Paul's growling and shaking just stopped. Sam thought the silence was worse. There would be less of a warning if Paul suddenly snapped.

The silence finally brought Old Quil's attention to Paul. "Got something to say boy?" Old Quil smiled. Sam had to wonder if he realized that he was playing with a live grenade. "You agree with me, don't you Paul?"

Old Quil stood up and walked closer to Paul. Sam thought that maybe, with all his provoking talk, Old Quil might deserve it should Paul decide to attack him. "You agree that she was nothing but trouble. I for one hope she has a run-in with one of her precious bloodsuckers on some lonely road and doesn't make it out." Old Quil laughed. "It would certainly make this world a better place."

Paul's arm shot out and wrapped itself around Old Quil's neck so quickly that even Sam had trouble seeing it.

Sam rushed forward and grabbed Paul's arm, hoping to either break it or convince Paul to let go. "Paul let go. You can't kill him. Calm down."

Paul did not seem to notice Sam was even there. The rest of the pack was now on their feet those with imprints moving them out of the way of the volatile wolf. Sam would have to thank Jared later for pushing Emily backward in the same instant he moved Kim.

Leah ran and wrapped her arms around Paul from behind, but he registered her less than he had Sam. Something was wrong with Paul and Leah must have noticed it long ago. That was the only explanation Sam could come up with for whatever it was that was happening right now.

Placing an Alpha order behind his words Sam shouted "Paul, stop it!" He breathed a sigh of relief when Paul loosened his grip and Old Quil fell to the ground. Paul's shaking, however, was now back.

"What the hell just happened?" yelled Embry.

Glaring at the man below him Paul spat out, "I imprinted on Isabella Swan."

"What!"

"Son of a bitch."

"No!"

Shocked at the turn of events, Sam had to hand it to Paul. Had Old Quil said half the things about Emily that he had about Bella the man would already be dead. He wanted to commend Paul for his restraint.

At the same time, however, Sam did not know what this imprint would do to Paul and the pack. The imprint bonds could be intense. If nothing else, Paul would need to see her from time to time. With Bella gone, what would this do to them? They would need to get her back. She had run with them for so long that he hoped she would understand.

Old Quil picked himself up off the ground. "How dare you imprint on a pale-faced whore."

Paul punched him hard enough for his head to snap back and put him, once again, on the ground. This time Old Quil was unconscious.

Jacob must have been in a similar thought process as Sam because they both moved forward at the same time and took hold of one of Paul's arms. Together they dragged him into the forest, away from the imprints and elders.

Sam could not wrap his head around how quickly their peaceful bonfire had gone downhill. "When did you imprint Paul? Are you sure you even did?"

Paul began pacing the forest floor. "Oh, I imprinted all right. Seen it enough times from all of you to know that much."

The rest of the pack had followed them. Unless they were chasing vampires, Sam wasn't certain that he had ever seen everyone look so serious.

"When did you imprint?" asked Sam.

Paul ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "The day she learned we changed. Remember that, Jake and I both changed in front of her. I imprinted then."

"That was a year ago. Are you kidding me?" Jake looked angrily at Paul. "How could you hide this for so long? Why didn't you say something? What is wrong with you?"

The group looked expectantly at Paul who glanced back before sighing in defeat and staring at the ground. "She didn't need me. She had Jake and he was so much better for her than I could ever be. She was happy without me."

Paul did not say anything else. He didn't have to. The imprint bond was all about what the imprint needed. If Bella did not need Paul then it would have been easy enough for him to pretend it never happened, although Sam had to wonder at what cost to both Paul and Bella.

With everything that had just taken place, with Bella leaving, and how agitated Paul looked now it dawned on Sam that while Bella may not have needed Paul before she most likely needed him now.


	4. It Opened Up My Eyes

It Opened Up My Eyes

-Ace of Base "The Sign"

She was aware enough to realize that this was a dream. She was standing in a room with a myriad of tools on the walls and wood everywhere. Paul was there, standing in the middle of what Bella assumed was a garage. He was sanding a chair.

Bella's heart called out to him, but she quickly pushed the feeling away. He paused for a second, as if he had heard the sound of her heartbeat. Bella held her breath and waited for him to acknowledge her, but he never did. She was merely an observer in her dream tonight.

Paul resumed work on the chair, and it was not long after that his father walked through the door. He watched Paul for a little while before speaking up.

"Nice looking chair you have there. Is it for me?"

Paul didnot even glance up. "It's for Sam. I smashed one of his kitchen chairs."

Paul's father put his hands in his pockets. "Unfortunate." He shuffled his feet for a bit, looking to Bella like a man clearly uncomfortable. "Speaking of Sam…"

Paul looked up, "Nobody is speaking of Sam," he snapped.

His father sighed. "Sam called Paul. He told me everything. I know about the imprint."

Bella was surprised to hear that Paul had imprinted. She briefly wondered about the poor girl who would be stuck with Paul before she remembered that this was a dream. It was all, therefore, a figment of her imagination.

"Look," Paul's father continued. "I'm sure she's a great girl, but there has to be some way to break the imprint bond. This can't be healthy for either of you."

Bella could tell that Paul was livid, and had some choice words for his father. However, a sudden, shrill, ringing noise drowned out those words.

Bella seemed to be the only one who could hear it. Paul and his father remained oblivious to the sound as an argument broke out between the two. The beautiful chair meant for Sam was broken to pieces as Paul stormed out of the garage. It was then that Bella recalled her alarm clock, which sounded identical to the ringing and the garage began to disappear.

Halfway between dreams and reality the ever-changing man appeared. He spoke quickly, as if he knew he had little time.

"I've sent them for you little bird. Are you ready?"

* * *

Filling out college applications was tedious. She had been doing it since she had arrived in Florida a month ago. Her mother had been ecstatic when she had discovered her daughter was with her once again. Even her mother's husband, Phil, had seemed excited that she was there. Within days of her moving in with them, they had repainted their plain guest bedroom and it became Bella's room.

Bella was sitting at the dining table filling out applications. She had no idea what she wanted her career path to be. When she had first gotten to Florida she had decided that since she had allowed fate to bring her there that it could also choose where she would attend college. She was therefore, applying for many different programs at all the colleges she could think of. She figured the first place to accept her would be where she was destined to go.

Her mother, Renée, bounced through the door in a flurry of elation. She headed straight for Bella. "Bella, oh Bella, congratulations!"

Bella looked at her mother in confusion. "Congratulations? For what?"

Renée briefly looked ashamed. "Now don't get upset, but when I saw it in the mail I knew what it had to be. I just had to open it." She placed a thick opened envelope on the table next to Bella. "Your first acceptance letter."

Bella felt something like a mix of fear and excitement as she placed her hand on top of the envelope. Where had fate decided to place her?

Phil poked his head into the dining room from the kitchen. "Congratulations Bella. Where are you going?"

Renée spoke up first, "She's been accepted into that nursing program she applied for."

Bella felt the pit of her stomach drop out. Nursing. Fate clearly had a sick sense of humor. Bella had never liked the sight or smell of blood and now her future would involve being constantly around it. She had only applied to the nursing program because her mother had insisted. Renée claimed that there was always a demand for nurses and that there always would be. She had said that Bella could not overlook that sort of job security.

Her mother leaped forward and grabbed Bella up in a fierce hug. "You should accept their offer as soon as possible. Don't want them to give away your spot."

Bella pushed her mom away from her. "I will mom. Thanks." She attempted a smile and from the one she received back from her mother she must have succeeded.

"Renée," Phil called from the kitchen, "where is the garlic I asked you to get?"

"I didn't get any garlic," she yelled back. "You didn't ask for any."

Phil joined them in the dining room. "Of course I asked for some. It's a major ingredient in tonight's dinner."

Renée sighed. "I'll go to the store and get some then."

Bella stood up. "I can go to the store."

Phil and Renée just looked at her for a second. "Are you sure honey?" Renée asked.

"Yeah mom, it's no problem."

Bella did not wait for a response as she grabbed her purse from by the front door and headed outside. The local grocery store was close enough for Bella to walk and she was in need of a chance to clear her head.

Nursing was the last thing she had hoped fate would give her. In the cool evening air, Bella searched for the good in a career in nursing. She would be able to help people. Maybe even save lives. She could not say the same of something such as accounting.

She had been in a hospital so many times that she would probably be a quick study. She could potentially learn things just from having experienced them herself. Bella silently laughed at the thought that maybe nursing would make her less accident-prone. That did not seem like a very likely possibility.

At the grocery store, Bella meandered her way over to the cloves of garlic in the produce section. She was in no hurry to get back home. Bella could feel his presence before she could see him. She was uncertain why. Perhaps it was because she had spent so much time with others of his kind.

She tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Bella knew from experience that her blood tended to call out to vampires. She grabbed some garlic and quickly headed to the checkout. The less time spent in the store the more likely the vampire would not notice her.

Her efforts to get him to ignore her turned out to be in vain since the vampire followed Bella out of the store. Bella could not head home now. There was no way she was going to lead a hungry vampire to her mom and Phil.

Bella started walking in the opposite direction of her house. Vampires had chased her before and she had survived, she could survive this too. She just needed a chance to think. If Bella had not known that garlic had no effect on vampires she would have tossed her burden at him and tried to run. If she had a lighter, she might have been able to set him on fire.

There was a woman jogging toward them. Bella needed to warn the girl away. It would not be good if an innocent stranger with no idea of what was happening suddenly had a vampire stalker. Bella had a chance, however small, to make it out alive. An unsuspecting stranger would have no chance at all.

Bella raised up her hand in a sort of stop signal when the runner got closer. The second Bella's hand went up the stranger stopped running. She stood there staring at Bella in confusion.

"Are you sure sister?" she asked Bella.

Now it was Bella's turn to be confused. Did she know this girl? Why did she call her sister? Did she think Bella was someone else?

Bella's silence must have been enough of an answer for the girl because she instantly assumed a fighting stance. Bella was almost certain this stranger had plans to kick out at the vampire behind her, a plan that would surely end in them both being a vampire's dinner.

Bella was surprised when instead of kicking out the girl's arms suddenly became engulfed in flames. Bella jumped back startled only to have the now angry vampire forcibly push her to the ground.

"Witches," he spat out before disappearing into the night.

The girl, now no longer on fire, gave Bella a hand up. "Are you all right sister?"

Bella looked at her. She did not appear to be a vampire. She was only slightly taller than Bella, and wearing a bright orange jogging outfit. She had blonde hair and grey eyes. Her features were soft, and while her skin was pale, it was not vampire pale. Yet, as far as Bella knew only vampires had seemingly magical gifts such as the one the girl had used to set herself on fire. Bella could not recall the wolves ever doing anything close to that.

She had a million questions for this unknown girl and yet, "Why do you keep calling me sister?" was the one Bella chose to ask.

The girl smiled at her. "My name is Henley. Are we not all sisters under the moon?"

Bella picked her grocery bag up off the cement. "I guess so," she said uncertainly. "My name is Bella."

Henley put her hands on her hips. "I have to say Bella I was surprised when you asked for help. There was only one vampire. That's hardly a bother to a witch with any amount of talent."

Bella felt as if she had been insulted. She had not even asked for help, she was simply trying to warn Henley away. Then there was that word witch again. Both Henley and the vampire had used it.

"I'm not a witch," she told Henley. Poor Bella was always the odd human stuck in a supernatural world.

Henley looked at her in disbelief. "Of course you're a witch. You flashed me the mark of the angel. Only a witch could do that."

It would be nice if Bella was a witch, but she knew that she was not. Henley was so insistent, however, that it gave Bella hope. Maybe she was not as average as she had always believed.

"What is the mark of the angel?" Bella asked.

Henley sighed. "It's the sign of a witch in trouble or in need of help. Kind of like a human's SOS." She gestured toward Bella. "You're doing it again."

Bella glanced down at her palm in time to see a multi-spiraled symbol disappear into thin air. "I am a witch," she whispered.

"You really didn't know, did you?" Henley looked at her in surprise. "My mother once told me that because witchcraft can only be practiced by females that sometimes families forget they have magic in their blood."

She started to pace in front of Bella. "If you have a witch who had nothing but sons, and he has nothing but sons, and this trend continues long enough for the last witch to die off, when the family finally has a daughter she could know nothing of the powers she possesses."

Is that what had happened to Bella? Did her father have some sort of witch gene he passed down to her?

Henley continued as if Bella were not even there. "With nobody around to teach them magic their powers could end up lying dormant and the poor girl would never know what she was. The few whose powers are strong enough to surface, well if they aren't found and taught how to use their powers, they could go insane."

Bella was glad she was not insane. She was lucky to have found Henley, lucky that her magic had called out for help. Bella looked at her palm once more. "What happens now?"

Henley smiled. "Now, I get to teach you magic."


	5. Coming Down in Three Part Harmony

Coming Down in Three Part Harmony

-Three Dog Night "An Old Fashioned Love Song"

Learning she was a witch had created a completely new set of questions that Bella wanted to ask Henley. She wondered if witch stereotypes were as untrue as they were for vampires and werewolves. Would she have to wear a pointy hat and carry a magic wand?

Before Bella had the chance to ask Henley anything, the other girl spoke up. "Let's go to my apartment. I don't live too far and we can talk more about everything there."

Bella agreed and the two started walking side by side in silence. It was Bella's phone ringing that broke the quiet. Bella glanced at the ID. It was her mother. She had forgotten her mother had sent her to the grocery store in all the excitement.

Bella hit the answer button. "Mom?"

"Bella, are you almost home? Phil is driving me crazy. Apparently, he needs the garlic now."

Bella wanted to learn more about being a witch, but she had told her mother she would bring back the garlic. "Umm, mom, I kind of met a friend at the store and she invited me to her place to hang out. I'm sorry, I forgot about the garlic."

Renée squealed through the phone. "Bella, that's great. I'm so glad you made a friend here already. Don't even worry about Phil and me. You have fun with your friend."

Bella could hear Phil in the background saying, "I need that garlic. Dinner is ruined."

Renée continued as if he were not even there, "I am so proud of you. Your life is falling into place."

Bella could feel herself blushing. "Thanks mom. I'll see you later."

Henley was watching her as she hung up the phone. "You still live with your mom?" she asked. "How old are you?"

Bella could feel her blush deepen. She hoped that Henley would not think less of her for living with her mother. "I'm eighteen. I should probably move out, but I don't have a job."

Henley brightened up. "I'm twenty and I could help you with a job. My mom, she owns a little café, most of us in the coven work as waitresses there." She pointed Bella at an apartment complex in front of them. "My apartment is here, come on."

As they were walking up the three flights of stairs to Henley's apartment Bella asked, "Are you sure your mom would hire me?"

Henley laughed. "Of course she would. You are joining the coven, are you not?"

Bella looked at Henley in surprise as she opened her front door and ushered Bella inside. Bella had not realized that Henley's offer to teach her magic included an offer to join a coven.

Henley turned to her in elation. "If you're serious about moving out of your mother's house, and you end up taking the job at the café, you could live here. I have an extra room. Been trying to rent it out for ages, but it is kind of difficult to find a roommate when you have a supernatural requirement."

Bella looked around her. It was actually a nice place. The living room had a fireplace, a comfortable looking couch, and a medium sized TV. The kitchen was a little to the side and had an eating nook. The appliances looked new.

"It's a two bedroom and two bathroom place," Henley told Bella. "You would have your own space."

It was all starting to become too much for Bella. "I'll have to think about it."

Henley shrugged her shoulders and moved toward the couch in the living room. "That's fine. Sit down."

Bella sat next to Henley who sat with her legs under her and turned to Bella. "I'm an elemental witch who exists in flames." Henley laughed. "That's really a fancy way of saying I can create and play with fire at will."

"Am I an elemental witch too?"

Henley shook her head. "It is possible, but I doubt it. The elements are good at making themselves known. You would know if you were. You would be able to feel it."

The two girls ended up talking about witchcraft and Henley's coven for so long that when Bella checked the time she discovered it was past midnight. She bid Henley goodbye and began the trek home.

Bella had learned a lot in the time she had spent there. She now knew there were three types of magic a witch could possess. The first was elemental, and witches with this sort of magic had control of one of the four elements. The second was mentality. It included witches who could control or move things with their minds as well as those with the power of divination.

The third was environmental. Environmental witches had power over everyday objects. According to Henley, they considered witches with the power to teleport or travel through time environmental because their powers affected the world around them. Bella had also learned that Henley's coven had five people in it, and that this was the normal size of a coven.

When Bella finally got home, and in bed, she worried that, her mind would be too busy for sleep. Sleep, however, came to her easily.

* * *

The scene in Bella's latest dream was extremely odd. It was her father, Sam, and Paul sitting in her dad's living room. Bella was almost certain that they were discussing werewolves and imprinting. As far as Bella knew, her dad had no clue about the supernatural world.

Charlie shook his head. "I understand what you're trying to do Sam. Sue already tried the same thing, and I'll tell you right now that I'll be a lot less kind to you than I was to her."

Sam looked disgruntled. "If you know everything then you know how important this is. So why won't you just tell us where she is?"

Bella wondered if Sam was looking for her.

Charlie leaned forward in his chair and looked at the two men as if he were interrogating them. "I promised Bella that I would tell you boys nothing. Even if I hadn't, there's no way I would tell you where she is. She was such a smart promising girl before she came here and started hanging around with boys."

Thanks dad, Bella thought while her father continued.

"First that Edward did a number on her, and then Jake broke her completely. I don't need the rest of you destroying her again when she's finally back to her old self."

Sam wiped at his face in frustration. "She won't be hurt. They're soul mates. That has to count for something."

Charlie sat back in his chair. "She's going to college and making friends. You are not going to take that from her."

Paul stood up. "We understand sir. Thank you." He walked out the door with Sam chasing after him. "I'm fine Sam," Paul said as he calmly walked away from the house.

Sam shook his head. "You are now, but how long will that last. How much longer will it be before all of this sends you both to the brink of insanity, and beyond?"

Paul stopped and turned to look at Sam. "I am all right Sam. You don't have to worry about me."

* * *

Just another night with another incredibly realistic dream, Bella was standing in an empty plot of land that backed up against the woods. Paul sat in the middle of it all just staring out into space.

As Bella watched, Sam pulled up in his truck. "You missed work," he yelled out to Paul.

Paul briefly glanced at him before going back to staring at nothing. "Something was missing."

Sam stopped in front of him. "So you felt the need to skip out on work and hang out here all day? You've finally cracked, haven't you?"

Paul snorted. "I'm not crazy Sam. Don't worry. I simply found what I was missing here."

Sam gazed around them. "You were missing dirt?"

Paul sighed. "I'm going to build a house. I bought the land."

Sam sat down beside Paul. "Is this about Bella? Building her a house will not make her magically appear."

Sam and Paul sat in silence for a while before Paul spoke up. "I think I just need my own space."

The fact that she was constantly dreaming about the pack confused Bella. Did she simply miss them so much that she felt the need to imagine how they were doing without her? If that was the case, then why did so many of her dreams involve the idea of Paul imprinting on her? Was it because of their one-night stand?

Sam slapped Paul on the back none too lightly. "If a house is what you need then we're going to build you the best house you've ever seen. All of La Push will be jealous."

* * *

A week after having first met Henley, Bella found herself back in the other girl's apartment meeting everyone in the coven. She was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, which Henley had moved into the living room so the space could accommodate six women.

Henley's mother, and the coven leader, gave Bella the impression of someone strict and knowledgeable, like a librarian. In appearance, she was an older version of Henley. They had the same facial features. Looking at the two side-by-side Bella had to wonder if Henley took after her father in any way.

Henley's mother stood in front of Bella. "My daughter tells me she informed you about the three types of magic."

Bella nodded her head. "Yes ma'am."

The older woman placed her hands on her hips. "My name is Sophia, I expect you to use it."

There was a woman who appeared the same age as Sophia sitting on the couch. She had dirty blonde hair with streaks of grey running through it. The lines on her face gave her a tired look. "Don't scare the poor girl away."

Henley and her mother were not the only mother and daughter in the coven. The woman sitting on the couch and the girl sitting next to her were mother and daughter as well.

While Henley and Sophia could have been twins, Winifred and her mother Katherine did not even look related. Winifred was taller than her mother was, had natural red curls, and where Katherine's features were sharp, Winifred's were soft.

Sophia turned to Katherine. "I'm teaching her, not scaring her." She looked back at Bella. "We have to discover what your power is. Have you experienced anything odd that might be your powers manifesting?"

Bella shook her head no.

"I see. Well Henley and I are both elementals. I connect with the earth and she connects with fire."

Winifred spoke up from her spot on the couch. As far as Bella could tell, she was the quietest in the coven. "I can make objects move with my mind."

Katherine interrupted her before she could say more. "Wini is a mentality witch like her grandmother. I, on the other hand, am an environmental witch with the ability to move myself through space in the blink of an eye."

In a show of her power, Katherine disappeared from Bella's sight.

"Over here." She heard the woman say from behind her.

Bella turned around to see Katherine standing behind her. In another blink of the eye, she was gone once more. When Bella turned back to the couch Katherine was sitting there as if she had never left.

"My turn!" shouted a girl who had been sitting on top of Henley's coffee table. She was shorter, and reminded Bella of Alice with her excited personality, and short brown hair. Henley had introduced her as Gwendolyn, Gwen for short.

Gwen jumped off the table and walked over to Bella. "I am technically considered an environmental witch. I have the ability to tell a person's health just by looking at them. I know if you're sick or not, if you have any broken bones or internal bleeding. I can also heal, but not very much. Most of the healing I can do involves more study than magic. I'm going to be a doctor one day."

Sophia frowned at Gwen. "Her powers are very rare, and very coveted. There are many covens trying to recruit her away from us."

Gwen smiled at Bella, and grabbed her hands. "There is no coven better than this one. I would never leave."

Gwen released Bella's hands, and moved back over to the coffee table. As she walked away, Sophia pulled Bella out of her chair, and stood her up.

"Now that you know what we can do it is our turn to learn what you can do. Let's start with elemental. It is the easiest to discover. Close your eyes."

Bella did what Sophia told her. She could feel Sophia walking circles around her. "Look deep inside Bella. Try to find the waves of the ocean crashing inside. Feel the wind as it blows fiercely. Reach for the flames of a raging fire. Touch the earth of a warm summer's day."

Bella tried to do as Sophia commanded, but could find nothing within herself that felt anything like Sophia described.

Katherine's voice broke her away from her search. "She is clearly not an elemental." Bella opened her eyes to see Katherine standing in front of her. "Perhaps you are a mentality. Try to move something with your mind. Simply focus on an object in the room and will it to move."

Bella located a lamp sitting in the corner. As much as she concentrated, the lamp would not move.

"Girl," Sophia called, forcing Bella to look in her direction. "Think fast."

Sophia tossed a small object in Bella's direction, one that Bella almost failed to catch. As soon as the object touched Bella's hands, Henley's apartment disappeared.

She was standing in a bedroom dimly lit by candles. Bella could tell from looking around the room that she was far from modern times. There was a young girl on the bed crying.

As the girl began to cry harder, rain started to fall from the ceiling. There was a downpour in the room by the time it faded away and Henley's apartment reappeared.

"Good," said Sophia as she walked over to Bella and plucked the object, a small gold locket, out of her hands. "This locket has been in my family for generations. It has picked up a bit of magic itself. If anything were to make an untrained seer have visions it would be this."

She stared intently at Bella. "You have the power of divination."

Henley bounded over to Bella. "That is so cool. What did you see? Please tell me you saw my mother doing something she shouldn't."

Divination, that meant she could see the future. Bella had to wonder if Alice had been a witch when she was human. If she had been just like Bella, only nobody ever helped her control her powers.

Bella glanced away from Henley and over at Sophia. "What can I do with divination?"

Sophia sighed. "It is a complicated power. It all depends on how strong a witch you are. You may be able to see only the past, present, or future. If you are stronger then, you might be able to see all three. It could manifest itself when you touch objects or people or only when you touch magical objects like the locket. It could even show itself to you in your dreams."

Bella suddenly recalled all of those odd dreams she'd been having lately. If Sophia was right then they were not actually dreams, but visions of things that had already happened, or were going to happen. That meant that all of those dreams of Paul imprinting on her were real. The most volatile werewolf there was had imprinted on Bella.

"Congratulations Bella!" Gwen yelled from the coffee table. "You will make an excellent seer and mother."

Bella looked at Gwen in confusion. "What do you mean 'and mother'?"

Gwen furrowed her brows. "Did you not know that you are pregnant?"


	6. I'd Like to Meet His Tailor

I'd Like to Meet His Tailor

-Warren Zevon "Werewolves of London"

Bella was sitting in a clearing filled with wild flowers. In the distance, she could see the lake where she had swum while a swan. She was not a swan now. She was wearing a long flowing white dress that had a Grecian feel to it. Bella had trouble figuring out how she could have ever forgotten about this place. It was beautiful, and everything about it was perfect.

She could feel another person sitting on the ground next to her. When she looked over, she discovered the ever-changing man staring at her.

"How could I have forgotten all of this?" she asked him.

He frowned. "It is not that you forgot, but that you did not know how to remember. When the witches I sent to you taught you how to use your powers all you thought you had forgotten came back."

His confession, that he had sent Henley and the others to her, was startling to Bella. "Was that what I needed to know? Can I return to my wolves now?"

The ever-changing man shook his head sadly. "There is still so much more you need to learn little bird. Not just from the witches, but also from others who will cross your path."

Bella picked at the grass beneath her fingers. "I was imprinted on by one of the wolves. I am pregnant with his child. I don't think we can be separated for much longer."

"I know what an imprint is. Both of you will be fine without each other."

Bella was skeptical of his answer. She knew enough about imprinting to know it usually involved a need to be with the other person. "How do you know we will be fine?"

He spread his arms wide. "I will make it so."

She looked at him. Who was he? He was apparently guiding her on some journey, yet she did not know who or what he was. "Are you a god?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Kind of, but not really." His answer told Bella nothing.

Suddenly the ever-changing man was standing in front of her. "It is time to wake up little bird."

* * *

It wasn't as if Bella did not trust Gwen, it was just that when Bella learned she was pregnant she felt the need for a second opinion. Running on the hope, that Gwen's revelation had been some sort of joke Bella had gone to the doctor.

It was there that Bella learned Gwen had been right she was pregnant. Being pregnant terrified Bella. What was she supposed to do now? In a moment of desperation, she accepted Henley's offer to move in.

Bella fled her mother's disapproval, and had moved in this morning. There were still boxes all over her new room. More stuff than Bella knew she owned courtesy of her mother. Renée was so excited that Bella had gotten a job at the cafe, and was moving in with a friend.

She was thrilled at Bella becoming an adult. Bella, however, had yet to tell her mother about the pregnancy. Renée had always told Bella how terrible a thing it was to marry and have children young. While her mother had never said it, Bella knew she had a place in Renée's regrets.

Bella picked up her phone and stared at it. Even though she did not know Paul's number she had a feeling it would not be hard to contact him. If nothing else Bella had Sam's number and if the imprinting stuff were real then Sam would probably have no problem handing Paul's number over.

Bella threw her phone back on the bed. Did she even want to tell Paul? The ever-changing man had said he would make it so neither of them would feel the repercussions of their separation. She could keep the pregnancy secret until it was finally time for her to return home.

Bella picked the phone back up. Paul deserved to know about the baby. It was his child too. He deserved the chance to be a father. It was also not fair of Bella to keep the fact that she knew about the imprint from him. She should tell him everything, including all the stuff about being a witch.

If he knew everything though he would probably want her to come home. He would most likely find a way to Florida and force her back to Washington. Bella could not leave Florida now. She was officially joining the coven tonight and her nursing program started in the spring. Fate wanted her here, not in Washington. Bella threw her phone back down on the bed.

A knock sounded at Bella's bedroom door. "Bella," Henley's voice drifted through the wood, "are you almost ready?"

Bella winced. She had forgotten to get dressed in her distress over whether or not to call Paul. "Not really," she called out.

She could hear Henley laugh. "Don't forget to shower using that soap I put in there. You have to be clean for the ritual tonight."

Bella looked at her phone in disdain. She did not need to call Paul tonight. The baby was not due for almost seven months anyway.

After a quick shower with a soap Sophia claimed had a special cleansing spell on it, Bella found herself in the back of a minivan. The six women were on their way to Bella's ritual to join the coven. An hour's ride later, they all tumbled out of the vehicle in the middle of nowhere.

"We don't want anyone to accidently interrupt," Henley had whispered to her when Bella noticed the minivan was no longer driving on roads.

Gwen ran ahead of the group as they hiked the rest of the way to where the ritual would take place. "The full moon!" she shouted, spreading her arms wide and spinning in circles. Bella could see Sophia rolling her eyes at Gwen's antics.

Bella looked at Henley. "What are we going to be doing?"

Bella thought she had spoken softly enough for the others not to hear, but was proven wrong when Gwen answered, "Dancing naked in the moonlight."

Bella turned startled toward Winifred at the sound of the other girl's laughter. This was the first time she had seen Winifred smile. While the girl was not mean, she was shy and tended to hide her emotions around Bella. She blushed when she noticed Bella watching.

Katherine grabbed hold of her daughter's arm. "We do not dance naked. Gwendolyn is making a joke."

Henley gave Bella a serious look. "We do, however, wear pointed hats. You did remember to bring yours, didn't you? We can't do the ritual without them."

Bella began to panic. They were all wearing special outfits for the ritual. Each of them had on a plain black, loose fitting long dress tied at the waist with a silver cord. Bella did not recall seeing a hat of any kind when Henley had handed the outfit over to her.

Winifred was still laughing.

Katherine turned her gaze away from Bella and Henley. It was with her nose in the air that she said, "We also do not wear pointed hats."

Henley took hold of Winifred's arm and yanked her away from her mother's grasp. She then looped her arm through Bella's and the three girls made their way toward Gwen who was spinning in circles far ahead of the others.

Gwen stopped spinning when they reached her. "It is a shame we don't dance naked. Imagine how freeing the experience would be."

Henley glanced at the two women lagging behind them. "Leave me out of the naked dancing. I would rather not see my mother in her birthday suit."

Gwen got a sad look in her eyes. "Be glad that your mother is here, and able to share this experience with you. Not everyone is as lucky as you."

Henley had no response to that and a silence descended over the four girls. The silence was short lived, as soon as Gwen noticed Sophia and Katherine catching up she shouted out, "Zombies!" and took off running. Henley and Winifred chased after her, with Henley dragging Bella along with them, giggling the whole way.

After walking ahead for a while, the girls allowed Sophia and Katherine a chance to catch up. Sophia looked upset when she reached them. "Running ahead like that was very immature of you girls. What we will be doing tonight is important, not some joke."

Sophia gave each girl a hard stare. Bella was red with shame. She was a new member and should have acted better behaved. "None of you girls are children. Each of you is a grown adult and I expect you to act as such."

Bella noticed Henley had hung her head and appeared unable to look at her mother.

Sophia continued, "I expect more from you Henley. You will be leader of this coven one day. Try to act accordingly."

In a surprising turn of events Gwen stomped away angrily from the group at the end of Sophia's speech.

Sophia sighed, "Looks like we will be meeting back up with her at the site."

Henley took hold of Bella's arm and waited for the others to walk a little bit ahead. "Sorry about that," she whispered.

Bella looked at her. "I'm the one who should be sorry. The coven seems to be about sisterhood, and by running ahead, we excluded your mother and Katherine. We probably shouldn't be falling behind now."

Henley shook her head. "That isn't what I meant. My mother and Katherine expect us to form a bond without them. The coven may be about sisterhood, but it is also generational. They are not a part of our generation. What I meant was sorry for the way my mother reacted. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Gwen."

Bella looked at Henley in confusion. "I noticed Sophia always seemed impatient with Gwen. I just thought she disliked Gwen's perkiness."

Henley laughed. "Goodness no, it is so much more than that. My mother full on hates Gwen."

"Why?"

Henley watched the quiet group ahead of them to make sure none of them were paying attention. When she answered Bella, her voice was much softer than it had previously been.

"Gwen's grandmother was leader of the coven before my mother was. She had two sons, no daughters. So when she retired and it came time for the coven to be passed down from mother to daughter it had to instead be given to the most powerful witch in the coven."

Henley glared at her mother's back. "My mother can be a little power hungry, and being handed leadership of the coven was like a dream come true. When I was born, my mother felt I had secured her legacy. She had her leadership role and an heir."

Henley glanced at Bella and gave her a sad smile. "Only Gwen was born two months after I was and that created a crack in my mother's perfect world. Technically, Gwen should be the next coven leader."

It seemed to Bella that the politics of the coven were similar to that of the pack. In the pack, Sam was only Alpha until Jacob took over his birthright. Like Sam, it appeared Sophia was a placeholder until Gwen took what rightfully belonged to her. Only it did not look as if Sophia planned to give anything to Gwen.

"Why does your mother say she's going to give you control if it's meant for Gwen?"

Henley sighed. "The one thing Gwen and my mother can agree on is that neither of them wants Gwen in the coven. Gwen stays out of duty to her grandmother. The woman raised her after her parents died in a car accident. My mother wants Gwen to leave so she can secure her legacy once more."

Bella thought how terrible that was. It was not fair that Sophia treated Gwen poorly just because she didn't wish to relinquish control of the coven to her. As Bella was lost in her thoughts, she and Henley caught up with the others. Bella started noticing her surroundings once more as the others climbed over a long lavender bush.

"Magic," whispered Henley when she noticed Bella doing more falling through the lavender than climbing over. "This place is pure magic."

As Bella picked herself up and moved away from the lavender she noticed they were in a small clearing completely circled by the lavender bushes they had just climbed through. There were several other plants ringing the clearing that Bella was unable to identify. In the middle of everything was what looked like a stone table of sorts made up of many stacked small stones.

Sitting on the top of it was Gwen. She jumped down and joined the others as all but Bella and Sophia moved to form a circle around the stone table. Sophia took hold of Bella's shoulders. "Are you ready to join us as our sister in not just magic but blood?"

Bella could feel magic all around her. It was a warm feeling that tugged at her very being. Bella felt like she could do anything in this place. She nodded her head in response to Sophia's question.

Sophia then wordlessly led her to a spot within the circle between Henley and Winifred before taking her place next to Katherine and Gwen. Sophia took a knife that Bella had not noticed her carrying to the clearing and cut both her palms with it before passing the blade to Katherine who did the same thing.

When Winifred passed the knife to Bella, she knew they expected her to do as they had and braced herself for the pain in her palms. She tried not to think too much of the blood as she handed Henley the blade.

When the blade was back in Sophia's hands, the older woman allowed it to fall to the ground where it pierced the dirt and stood straight up. The six women held hands as Sophia began to chant in a language Bella could not understand.

It was as they were driving home that the full weight of what had just occurred hit Bella. She had magically tied herself to these women. There was no leaving Florida now.


	7. It's A Supernatural Delight

It's a Supernatural Delight

-King Harvest "Dancing In The Moonlight"

It was not until three mornings after the ritual for Bella to join the coven that she finally had her first run in with morning sickness. Bella decided that emptying ones stomach of anything and everything they had ever eaten was not the most ideal way to wake up in the morning as she rinsed out her mouth in the sink.

Once she felt there was nothing left in her stomach and her teeth had been brushed to perfection Bella attempted to make her way to the kitchen. The moment she stepped foot in the hallway, and the smell of Henley cooking wafted its way toward Bella she discovered that there was much more left in her that needed emptying out.

Bella was too busy to register somebody knocking on the bathroom door before opening it wide. she did, however, notice the hands that moved her hair out of the way and rubbed soothing circles on her back. Bella felt a stab of regret that Paul was not here. He should have been the one to hold her hair and comfort her when morning sickness reared its ugly head. She should call him when she could find the chance to walk away from the bathroom.

Henley, who had been whispering nonsense words of comfort, stopped rubbing Bella's back. "When my mother heard you were pregnant she gave me a recipe for an anti-morning sickness potion. Winifred is in the kitchen making it now."

Bella managed to mumble out a "thanks" as she pulled her head away from the toilet.

Henley stood up. "Wait here and I will grab it from her. It was a fairly simple potion."

Bella nodded her head as Henley walked out. Pulling herself up to brush her teeth once more she wondered what Winifred was even doing in their apartment so early in the morning. It was not all that unusual for either Gwen or Winifred to be there as they seemed to be teaching Bella about magic as much as Henley was, they just tended to not show up until somewhere around lunch.

Walking back into the bathroom Henley handed Bella a vial with a deep blue liquid inside. Bella stared at the vial's contents for a moment before grimacing and downing it in one gulp. The potion's effects were immediate as Bella felt the last of her nausea disappear.

Now feeling like she could conquer the world as well as whatever new magic lesson the trio had to throw at her Bella wandered into the living room. The living room was an explosion of fabric of every color imaginable. There was even one piece of fabric that was changing color ever few seconds.

In the middle of the fabric chaos sat Gwen who was giggling madly as she pulled even more fabric out of a giant bag.

"Watch your step," said Henley as she gingerly made her way over to Gwen and began helping her in her apparent endeavor to cover the apartment in as much fabric as possible.

"How are you feeling?" Winifred asked from within the kitchen.

Bella swore she stepped on a pointed hat as she made her way over toward Winifred. While the kitchen was not covered in fabric it was still not faring better than the living room. Their kitchen looked as if an apothecary had exploded. There was herbs and potion ingredients everywhere, and one of the pots on the stove was giving off a blue smoke with random sparks here and there.

Winifred looked slightly ashamed as Bella glanced at the mess around her. Bella knew she would be the one to clean it.

"Sorry we couldn't find one of the main components to that potion I made you." Winifred gestured to the blue smoke pot. "I made extra for you. You can keep them on your night stand or something."

Bella smiled gratefully at the girl who began filling vials with the blue liquid. Bella sighed to herself before cleaning the kitchen up. When Bella finished with the help of Winifred the two girls made their way into the living room where Gwen and Henley were wearing corsets, blouses, and long skirts.

Bella raised her eyebrows when she saw them. "Is the Renaissance Faire in town?"

Gwen looked at Bella as if she were insulted by the comment. "Don't be ridiculous, the Renaissance Faire is in the spring. Everyone knows that."

Henley made her way over the mess of fabric to where Bella was standing. "Do you not remember that today is Halloween?"

Bella had known that Halloween was soon. The decorations littering the neighborhood and grocery store had made it impossible for Bella to forget. She had just not realized that the day was coming up so soon.

"Tonight is the Witches Ball," spoke up Winifred.

Henley gestured to the fabric on the ground. "Everyone dresses up as the most stereotypical witch they can think of."

Bella had thought she had stepped on a pointed hat earlier. Bella took a closer look at the fabric and realized they were a multitude of costumes. Corsets and skirts like the ones being worn by Gwen and Henley, a velvet dress that made Bella think of a powerful sorceress, and even a gown that looked like Glinda's from The Wizard of Oz.

Henley watched Bella glance at everything . "Winifred made them all."

Bella looked at Winifred startled. "I didn't know you could sew."

Winifred, who was as red as a tomato, shrugged her shoulders. "It's my hobby."

Gwen jumped up and down while clapping her hands. "We're all going to look so pretty."

After a day of playing dress up Bella found herself wearing a long sleeved black dress that tied in the back, along with a pointed black hat. Henley was wearing a black dress so short that Bella was certain Sophia would force her to change, and a hat like Bella's. Gwen still had on the green corset she had been wearing earlier along with a green and yellow skirt and a dark yellow blouse. Winifred was wearing the velvet sorceress dress that was a deep blue color with her hair in an intricate knot of braids.

Winifred had almost been unable to wear the velvet gown when Bella had mentioned it appeared like something a sorceress would wear. In a world with shape shifters, vampires, and witches Bella should have realized that there was sorcerers as well.

"What is the difference between witches and sorcerers?" Bella has asked after the revelation.

It was Henley who answered. "Sorcerers rely on wands and science while witches depend on the magic within themselves. Sorcerers create magic while witches are magic. Because of that witches and sorcerers tend to not get along very well. Sorcerers can also be either men or women."

"Witches are men haters," Gwen had shouted from where she had been doing Winifred's hair.

Standing in the living room all dressed up with the others Bella began to wonder how they would be getting to the Witches Ball. Turning to Henley she asked, "Whose car are we taking?"

Henley laughed. "The Witches Ball is in New York. We're using a teleportation spell, not driving. We're just waiting for my mother and Katherine to get here."

As if on cue there was a knock on the apartment door and when Henley opened it, it was to reveal Sophia and Katherine who both appeared to have stepped out of the Salem Witch Trials. Katherine was even holding what appeared to be a noose.

Sophia walked straight into the living room. Bella was grateful they had picked up the mess before Sophia and Katherine had gotten there. She had no doubt that Sophia would have some harsh words had the mess still been there.

"We have magic to do. I hope you girls are ready to go."

Moving to stand in the circle they had been in during Bella's joining ritual the six women joined hands. Sophia began chanting in what Bella now knew to be Latin. The other girls joined Sophia's chant, Bella included. It was as if the words were a part of Bella, like something she had always know but never realized.

The apartment began to swirl around them until it became a blur of colors. When the spinning finally ceased Bella found herself in what appeared to be the lobby of a grand hotel surrounded by other women in witches costumes. There was even one women who had painted herself green.

"Don't look so impressed," Henley whispered to Bella. "The women you see here are the only witches left in the world. We are a dying breed."

Following Sophia into the hotel's ballroom Bella supposed she looked like a fish out of water with her mouth open as she stared at the grandeur around her. Bella was so absorbed in the beauty of the building and the brightly dressed people around her that she failed to notice Sophia and the others stopping. Recovering from having walked into Henley Bella noticed that standing in front of Sophia was a small woman with her hands on her hips trying to stare Sophia down.

Loudly clearing her throat she addressed the woman before her. "Why hello there Sophia, it is so nice to see you and your coven here."

Something about the way the woman's eyes gleamed made Bella think that she was going to stir up trouble, and from the frown on Sophia's face she must have thought the same.

"Lucy," nodded Sophia before she attempted to step around the woman who quickly moved to block Sophia's path once more.

"I must say Sophia, when I had heard your coven had a new member I had briefly thought you were beginning to recruit for a war. Only now that I see your newest member I can tell how ridiculous that idea was." Lucy gave a fake chuckle and Sophia returned it with the most strained smile Bella had ever seen.

"Come now Lucy, we are all sisters. What benefit would a war give me." Sophia tried to side step the other woman to only find Lucy blocking her path again.

"What benefit indeed? Are you not, however, the least bit curious why I find your new girl to be no threat?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "I would assume that is because she is a dream psychic and, therefore, useless in a war."

Lucy smiled widely at Sophia's response. "Ah yes, a dream psychic. That is the only power you told the witches council she possesses, no?" At Sophia's confirmation nod Lucy continued. "Imagine my surprise then when I attempted to read the girl's mind and discovered nothing."

" Now either your girl is so simple minded that she has no thoughts or you lied to the witches council, but we both know you would never do that. Poor little power hungry Sophia would never lie about a mental shield. That could be considered an act of war."

The glare Sophia was giving Lucy had Bella marveling at the fact that she had yet to burst into flames. "Lucy since we are both in agreement that I would never lie to the council perhaps you would do well to worry about your own coven and how simple minded they may be and leave me to mine. Also, try to recall that reading a fellow witches mind, no matter how unsuccessful, is against council law."

Sophia's smile combined with her glare as she watched Lucy disappear into the crowd terrified Bella. As soon as Lucy could no longer be seen Sophia whipped around to face Bella so quickly that Bella was certain even a vampire would have difficulty seeing the movement.

"Well?" snarled Sophia.

Bella was uncertain what it was Sophia was asking and had to remind herself that responding with "well what" would probably not end well.

Sophia must have understood Bella's thought process as she continued on with, "well do you have thoughts in your head or not?"

Once more Bella had to bite back a response as her first instinct was to tell Sophia that of course she had thoughts. "Nobody has ever been able to read my mind. I always assumed I was running on a different frequency than everyone else."

Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply. "Are you a radio?"

Bella shook her head no.

"Then your mind does not run on a different frequency. When I had asked you all those weeks ago if you had ever done anything out of the ordinary shielding your thoughts from mind readers should have been the first thing you mentioned. Instead you told me that there was nothing odd about you. I will ask you one last time, and so help me if you tell me you have no other powers and it turns out you do. I will not be made a fool of."

Bella had stood her ground against hungry vampires, and angry shape shifters, but nothing she had experienced was half as terrifying as Sophia was in that instant. "I am sorry Sophia. There is nothing else," was the only thing Bella could bring herself to answer with.

Sophia nodded her head before turning to Katherine. "Come we should inform the witches council of Bella's newest power before Lucy gets the chance."

The second the two women were no longer within hearing distance Gwen excitedly turned to Bella. "Please tell me you have more powers, and you just did not tell her about them."

Still recovering from Sophia's rage all Bella could do was shake her head.

"A mental shield is such an awesome power," spoke up Henley. "Any powers that mess with your mind would be useless against you."

"You know," said Winifred, "if your psychic abilities extended outside of your dreams you would be considered more powerful than Gwen."

Bella was uncertain how to react to that news. She was still a beginner in the whole witch thing and Gwen had been practicing for years. Bella had meant to protest Winifred's statement and claim she would need practice before she could be as powerful and well versed as any of them when it occurred to her that she might have one other power that Sophia did not know about.

If anyone would know whether or not it was a power it would be the three girls in front of her. "I don't know if this is a separate power or not," Bella started out by saying, "but sometimes I have dreams that are neither dreams nor visions. In them there is a man whose appearance is always changing. He knows things and tells me things. I am not really certain who or what he is."

From the looks on Henley's and Winifred's faces Bella could tell that they had no idea who the man was either. Gwen, however, had a look of understanding, and Bella had to strain to hear Gwen's whisper of, "You can see the Dream Walker."

As if they all understood that this was some sort of secret the four girls huddled into a tight circle. It was Henley who asked the question they were all thinking. "Who is the Dream Walker?"

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know that much about him, just that he was a sorcerer once. My grandmother can see him too. She could tell you much more than I can."

"It's settled then," Henley said as she straightened up and broke the huddle. "This man cannot be that dangerous if Gwen's grandmother can see him too. We shall consult her about him some other day and tonight we enjoy the Witches Ball." Grabbing hold of Gwen the two girls laughed their way to the dance floor.

Winifred patted Bella on the shoulder. "I am sure everything will be fine. Sophia has gone to clear everything with the council and Gwen's grandmother will probably have the answer to any questions you have about this sorcerer person. Try to have some fun."

Bella fully intended to take Winifred's advice. She had even succeeded for a short while, and had danced without a care. It was as the four girls were taking a breather at the refreshments table that Bella saw them. The one person who could ruin a night quicker than either Sophia's rage or a mysterious sorcerer could.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading the latest installment of Fly Away. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Special thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, wandwaving and natashar. Stay tuned for the upcoming second part of the Witches Ball. Also, don't forget to check out the poll on what to name Bella's baby if you haven't already. I would also like to give a shout out to by beta for all their hard work. Thank you everyone.


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